by Evie Fordham
Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is expected to announce a run for Senate on Monday after sending out a call to his supporters to gather in Leavenworth for an afternoon speech.
He filed to run Monday morning, although his Federal Election Commission filing initially misspelled his first name as “Chris.”
Kobach would seek to replace Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, who announced his retirement in January. Another Republican, American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, is believed to be mulling a Senate run as well.
It’s unclear how much support Kobach’s candidacy would receive from the GOP establishment. He lost a 2018 bid for governor to Democrat Laura Kelly even though Republicans outnumber Democrats in the state 2 to 1, reported the Kansas City Star.
“Kansas Republicans deserve a nominee who can win. Given the result in last year’s gubernatorial race, we’re watching this race closely and will make a decision on our potential involvement when the time comes,” Jack Pandol, spokesman for the Senate Leadership Fund, said, according to the Kansas City Star.
The Senate Leadership Fund is linked to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Kobach has focused on immigration issues and was reportedly considered for an immigration policy position in the administration by President Donald Trump. He is also on the board of We Build the Wall, Inc., which raises money to build barriers at the U.S. southern border, reported Kansas City Star.
Republican Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall is also considering a Senate run. Super PAC Club for Growth conducted a phone poll testing Marshall versus Schlapp that it said tilted toward Schlapp, reported the Kansas City Star in mid-June.
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Evie Fordham is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
